Radio frequency (RF) devices are used in a wide variety of applications, including increasingly common wireless communication systems. As the use of such RF devices proliferates, the cost of such RF devices increases in importance.
One source of increased costs in RF devices is the use of specialized lumped element devices. For example, the use of specialized capacitors and inductors in some RF devices can be a significant source of cost in the overall device. This is particularly true for lumped element devices, such as relatively large capacitors and inductors.
For these reasons there is a continuing need for techniques to reduce the costs of RF devices, and in particular to reduce the costs of RF devices associated with the use of lumped elements.